Most mainstream distributions, like Ubuntu, Fedora, and Mandriva, have already adopted a time-based release schedule, meaning that releases are not done on a feature basis, but according to a pre-determined time schedule. The Debian project has announced that it has adopted a time-based release schedule too.

Read the whole text.(Thom picked a misleading headline, I am not to blame ) The release will not be time based, only the freeze will be time based. It will still be released "when it is done"(tm).

It's still a time-based release cycle - it's just that because Debian chose a longer timeframe, they also have more leeway between dev freeze and release. Ubuntu also has leeway between dev freeze and release, it's just shorter because the cycle is shorter as well.

Well, what Debian is doing is not a time based release cylce like Fedora, Mandrake or Ubuntu. They will freeze Debian Testing in december and they will start fixing RC bugs. There is no real time line from there on out. Theoretically they could release in january (highly unlikely) or in june (knowing Debian it could even be september)

So time based freeze is a more accurate description of what they are doing unless you consider within +-6 month a fixed time.